


Halloween Night in Twinleaf Town

by 150Gallade



Category: Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Halloween, Pokemon, Pokemon Diamond Version, Pokemon Pearl Version, Pokemon Platinum Version, Shinou-chihou | Sinnoh Region (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27307852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/150Gallade/pseuds/150Gallade
Summary: Aspiring Pokemon Trainers Athena and Ares find themselves getting into trouble when Trick-Or-Treating isn't quite enough to satisfy them on Halloween night.





	Halloween Night in Twinleaf Town

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a fun little story told with characters from a much larger project I'm working on based on a series of Nuzlocke challenges. But the Nuzlocke element isn't going to have any influence on this story. Hope you enjoy!

“Trick or Treat!”

Ares and I receive our candy as the adult giving it to us compliments our costumes. He was going as a Honchkrow, and I was a Mismagius. If there’s one thing you should know about us, it’s that we both love Pokemon. That’s one of the many reasons we’re such close friends. In fact, we’d love to go on a Pokemon journey someday, but right now we’re making the most of little adventures in our hometown of Twinleaf, little adventures like trick-or-treating.

Unfortunately that was coming to a close though. It was getting late, lights were turning off, and we had already hit most of the houses in our neighborhood, Twinleaf Town is pretty small after all. That doesn’t mean we were short on candy though, Ares and I certainly had enough to satisfy us. But while we may have been satisfied with our candy, we weren’t satisfied with letting our night end just yet. The problem is, we both had different ideas on how to end it.

I had suggested we go to my house, eat our Halloween candy, and watch something on TV. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, Ares didn’t think so. His idea was to go out to Lake Verity, RIGHT NOW! I tried to tell him that it would be the same old lake that we've been to plenty of times before, but just too dark for us to actually admire its beauty, but he claimed that maybe the Legendary Pokemon that lived there was a ghost type or something, and tonight might be our only chance to see it. I tried telling him that that legend was probably just a fairytale, as I had before, but there was no getting through to him. Eventually, he asked

“Wait, you’re not SCARED, are you?”

SCARED? He was the one who actually believed what he was saying, so if anyone should be scared it should be him! But now that Ares had that idea, he wouldn’t let it go. He started to imitate a Torchic’s cry, poorly by the way, walking around in circles flapping his arms, and nothing I said got him to stop. That is, until I said

“What if what we watched on TV was a scary movie? Oh wait, we probably can’t do that because YOU’RE TOO SCARED!”

As soon as I finished that sentence he froze. I knew that would get him. He then proposed that we watch our movie, and go to the lake afterwards, and in fact, the later at night the better. I could agree to that. If he was willing to compromise, then I should be too.

So we watched our movie, with the volume way down because I knew my mom wouldn’t let us if she knew. A horror movie wouldn’t have been my first choice if it weren’t for the fact that I was trying to convince Ares to actually watch something with me, but I was just happy to eat my Halloween candy and get my way. 

I wasn’t scared while watching it, if anything I was bored. The writers would have needed a more believable plot to frighten me. It was about these kids who got into trouble, and then found themselves spirited away by a Duskull. I had heard that story before, it was just made up to get children to behave. There’s never been a documented case of something like that actually happening.

Ares didn’t have the same reaction though. He seemed pretty spooked, and I could see why. He always believes stuff like that, and I guess we were misbehaving kids ourselves after watching this movie. I assumed that he wouldn’t want to go to the lake now, and just hoped that he hadn’t scared himself so badly that he’d decide to confess to his mom, since I’d get in trouble too. But I was wrong, apparently that fear only egged him on more, and he thought there was no way he could back out now. I did say that I would go with him if he watched the movie, so I headed out too.

The problem was, with all the time we spent watching the movie, it was now so late that going outside wouldn’t even be worth asking my mom about, which meant we’d have to sneak out. It wasn’t that hard actually. My mom wasn’t in the kitchen, the only room between my room and the exit, so we could leave unnoticed. Just had to turn off the lights as if I were going to sleep and wanted it to be as dark as possible. The problem would be getting back in.

So it turns out Ares was right, I was scared of this trip. But not because of any ghosts or Legendary Pokemon, but because of my mom's potential wrath when I returned. I must have been more afraid than I realized though, because Ares noticed that I was shaking.

He started to rub it in my face that he was right about me being scared about this, and I practically snapped. 

"It's not because of that myth, or that movie we just watched, or anything like that! It's because if my mom finds out that I snuck out of the house in the middle of the night she's going to kill me! So I would like to get to this lake and get back home as quickly as possible to minimize the chances of that happening! Which means that if we get there and there's nothing, we're not going to sit around and wait for the Legendary! Or maybe you can, I don't care, but I will be going home."

I was whispering all that, but I was shouting too. Ares said that as long as I followed through on my end of the deal that was okay, so it seemed my quiet rage got through to him. That is, until we got to Route 201.

“Hey Athena, I just got an idea, can we invite Lucas along too?”

I was quite frankly shocked by the absurdity of this request. Lucas is our friend who lives in Sandgem Town. I know this was Ares’s idea, but he was scared too, wouldn’t he not want to take any detours?

“Wh-? No! WHY?” is what I mutter out in response.

“”Because, oh I don’t see any point in trying to hide the fact that I’m scared, and I’d feel a lot safer if he was along with us.”

Wow, what a subtle way to insult me.

“Oh, so I’m not offering any comfort or protection? Even though you’re dragging me along? If we find some big scary monster Athena will just get gobbled up, but big strong Lucas will be able to save you!”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying! It’s just that, well, he has a Pokemon and-”

Oh, that’s right. I kind of forgot about that. I wouldn’t have yelled at Ares as much if I had remembered. Whoops. That doesn’t mean I’m not still mad about it though.

“Fine, you go get Lucas and his Chimchar, and since they’ll be all the company you need, I will be going back home now.”

“Nice try, but there’s no way I’m letting you get out of this that easily. You agreed to this.”

I sigh as I realize he’s right.

“Fine, but if I’m coming, Lucas isn’t. Because if you’ll remember, we’ll need to go through tall grass to get to his house Sandgem Town, and that’s yet another thing we’re not allowed to do, at least until we get Pokemon.”

“You know we’ll do it someday.” He says smugly. And knowing this kid, and how good he is at getting me into trouble, he’s probably right. 

“Well I’ve taken enough risks tonight.” I shoot back. I could tell he was considering arguing it more, but backs off.

“Okay fine, I’ll call him.”

Ares can’t be serious right now.

“CALL him? With what phone?! The one in your HOUSE? The same one with your MOM? ONE OF THE TWO WORST PEOPLE WE COULD ENCOUNTER RIGHT NOW???”

At the very least, even he must have realized this was a bad idea. He probably just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind after I shot down his first idea, and I could tell he was trying to think of a third. 

That’s when all of a sudden a flashlight is shone on us. My stomach sinks. It must be one of our parents. I am in for a world of punishment. That’s why I was thrown way off guard when I heard a very casual “Hey guys!”

Ares and I slowly turn around. And who do we see but Lucas? We both stare blankly at him. Can this kid read minds?! Should he become a Psychic type trainer? Or maybe we were just arguing about him louder than we thought. I hope it’s not the latter, because not only would that be awkward, but who knows who else might have heard our voices. Luckily, he gave us an explanation.

“I decided that Lake Verity might be worth checking out tonight, you know, if the Legendary Pokemon is a ghost type or something, it might want to show up tonight. Or it will just be a fun experience. Also I saw this scary movie! It was about this Duskull and-”

“HA! My idea wasn't ridiculous!” Ares interrupts. “I said the same exact thing about the Legendary and Athena wouldn’t believe me! But she’s outnumbered now!”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to explain that that doesn’t mean I’m wrong, but it doesn’t get me any less face rubbing, which I expected. So after catching Lucas up with exactly what led us here, and great minds think alike, and all that, we head to the lake. Finally.

As soon as we step past the sign for the lake and it’s clearly in sight, I point out that there’s no Legendary Pokemon and immediately turn around. Ares slaps his face.

“Well of course it won’t just show up right away!”

That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to say this whole time.

“You’re right, because it’s not showing up at all.” 

I keep walking, and I refuse to let anything Ares says turn me around. I did what I agreed to do, and I am not letting him pressure me into anything more.

I get back home and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that the lights are still off. That’s a pretty good sign that my mom hasn’t noticed anything, and as long as I can quietly get into my bed, and Ares doesn’t mess anything up, she’ll assume nothing out of the ordinary happened. I gently turn the door knob to get back in without making too much sound. But I must have been too gentle, because it doesn’t move. I use a little more force and still nothing, but this time it’s obvious that something’s wrong.

Oh. My. Arceus.

I locked the door when I left. I don’t know why I did that. I must not have been thinking at all. Why did I make such a careless mistake??

I was contemplating ways to get into the house that I was supposed to be inside of right now that didn’t involve knocking on my own door in the middle of the night to be met with a creature scarier than any Pokemon from legend or reality. Perhaps I’d be able to find a way to get in through my window? This train of thought was interrupted when I heard a shriek in a familiar voice.

Dang it, I guess I shouldn’t have said that NOTHING would get me to come back to the lake. There was a part of me that was mad at him, but another that was worried about my friend, and that one was way bigger.

Whatever it was that got him to scream, it didn’t go away, because he did it again, this time including my name.

“ATHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Well, there go my chances of not getting in trouble, but let’s be honest, they were slim already. And that didn’t matter right now, Ares clearly needed my help.

But when I arrived, there wasn’t much I could do, other than watch in horror with him. There was a red, circular light coming out of a nearby shrub. No, it couldn’t be! That wasn’t a Duskull, was it? THERE’S NO WAY THAT WE’D GET SPIRITED AWAY FOR ALL OUR MISBEHAVING JUST LIKE IN THAT MOVIE, RIGHT??????? 

I try to calm myself down, and remind myself that Duskull don’t live in this area, so it must be something else which has a practical explanation, even if I haven’t figured it out yet. And even if one managed to end up here, it was just a horrible, spooky coincidence that we crossed paths tonight, and nothing would actually happen. But then I make a terrifying observation.

“Hey Ares, WHERE’S LUCAS???”

“I DON’T KNOW, I LOST HIM A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE DUSKULL SHOWED UP!”

It doesn’t take me long to put two and two together after that. I begin walking towards the “Duskull” as Ares shouts like I’m putting my life in danger. I grab the light, and big surprise, it’s Lucas’s flashlight, just with a red tint over it. Of course, I find Lucas too, and he awkwardly chuckles and then bolts back to Sandgem Town. That was smart of him, I don’t even know what I would have done to him if he stuck around.

Ares looks embarrassed, but before either of us can say anything, flashlights are shone on us, and they definitely aren’t Lucas’s. We knew this was going to happen, but that doesn’t make it any less scary.

So there were our parents, outside, in the middle of the night, in their pajamas, tracking down their kids that they thought were asleep because they heard one of them scream the other’s name. I think I would have rather been one of the kids in the movie we watched. My mom shouts about how worried she was, and everything that could have happened, and how I knew better, you know, all the parent stuff. She also demands an explanation, and I see no way out of that, so she finds out about the horror movie too. 

I may not have been banished to another world tonight, but I might as well have been, with all the time I’m going to be spending in my room. But hey, there are bright sides! After I explained what happened, Lucas is going to be grounded so horribly a Dugtrio would be jealous! Serves him right. And Ares, I can’t be too mad at him. He may have dragged me into this situation, but I’m sure his mom will teach him as much of a lesson as he’s able to learn from it, and he’s also my best friend in the world. Plus, it may not have been my ideal or favorite Halloween, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have ANY fun tonight!

**Author's Note:**

> Well I hope you enjoyed! I'm pretty new to this whole fan fiction and A03 stuff, so constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated! Thanks for reading!


End file.
